WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Match Card, Latest Rumors, News and Buzz Before PPV

The 2018 Royal Rumble gets underway at 7 p.m. ET Sunday on WWE Network.

Eighteen out of the 30 participants in each Royal Rumble match have been announced. What surprises could be in store for those empty slots?

And what about the universal title match between Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar and Kane? Lesnar is the obvious choice to retain his title and fight in WrestleMania's main event. But it's never too late for a last-minute change in Vince McMahon's world.

Fans in Philadelphia will no doubt be casing the local hotels and restaurants, hoping to get a glimpse of any surprise entrants.

Here's your latest 2018 Royal Rumble match card, along with some last-minute buzz and rumors, as we hit The Road to WrestleMania.

2018 WWE Royal Rumble Match Card

• The 2018 30-man Royal Rumble match
• The first 30-woman Royal Rumble match
• Universal champion Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane (Triple Threat match for the Universal title)
• WWE champion AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (2-on-1 Handicap match for the WWE title)
• Raw tag team champions Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan vs. Cesaro and Sheamus
• SmackDown Live tag team champions The Usos vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin (2-out-of-3-Falls match for the SmackDown tag team titles)
• Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. The Revival (Kickoff Show)
• United States Championship: Bobby Roode (c) vs. TBA (Kickoff Show)
• Kalisto, Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik vs. TJP, Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak (Kickoff Show)

Credit: WWE.com

Last-Minute Rumors and Buzz

Speaking to Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc, contrary to earlier rumors, Molly Holly revealed she had not been contacted about participating in the women's Royal Rumble. However, she believed the speculation herself.

In an exclusive interview with Giri, Holly said (h/t Chris Featherstone of Wrestling Inc): "My friends' kids were texting me and they're like, 'I saw on the internet that you're gonna be in the Royal Rumble.' I was like, 'I am?! Oh my gosh! Where does it say this?' So I start looking like, is this like some thing that they just forgot to tell me?"

Holly called WWE to make sure, and they confirmed that it was just rumors.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that the following big names have been seen in the Philadelphia area Sunday: Ethan Carter III, Candice LaRae, Ricochet, and Shawn Michaels.

WWE announced EC3 as an official signing on Saturday night at NXT Takeover Philadelphia. LaRae and Ricochet are both recent hires. And Shawn Michaels is a mentor at the WWE Performance Center. But could they be Royal Rumble entrants? We will all know soon enough.